REAL ESTATE, by Elvira Solana, is presented as an architectural essay halfway between the pragmatic and the poetic, an exercise in both theoretical and practical asceticism, the humanist architect vs. the economist.

Inspired by the Romans and the Renaissance era, Elvira investigated the architectural features of a home and transformed an apartment in the centre of Madrid through five frescos, models and plans.

“As an architect and muralist,  two lines of research converge in my work: On the one hand, I reflect on housing and private life. On the other hand, I explore and claim the qualities of painting as an architectural element that is capable of transforming spaces” she recounts.

To carry out this project, Elvira was voluntarily locked-up for over five months, carrying out a graphic exploration of architecture with hardly any furniture or material goods beyond her brushes and paintings.

The spanish architect and artist transported the apartment from the city centre to a Mediterranean peninsula. Its 350 m2 were transformed into 10,000, surrounded by gardens and pavilions.

Using painting as an architectural tool, the author opened five new windows that show small fractions of the expansion work, while the models and plans situate and orient the visitor within the entire complex.

Other artists have later carried out ephemeral interventions in the house. The murals became the stage and guiding line of the dance film Habitat.

The context and the perception of space were modified by using the classic trompe-l’oeil technique in a project that  questions our rhythm and way of life, all while proposing to re-establish the dialogue between architecture and painting.

“The final result is a transformation of the qualities of a space through pigments, plans and models. Essentially, I explored a full yet primeval way of life.”